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Partridges, and Grouse
343. Grate some stale bread, and if not very fine shake the crumbs through a colander so as to lie lightly in the dish. Melt a slice of butter in a frying-pan, and fry the crumbs till all are well and equally coloured, stirring them to prevent burning, then well drain and dry them on paper, or a cloth spread upon a sieve. If preferred, the crumbs may be browned very gently in a cool or a Dutch oven, without butter. They are easily removed with a slice.
SECT. 5. SAUSAGES, BLACK PUDDINGS, &c. 344. THESE SAVOURY COMPOUNDS are made with various materials chopped and mixed together, either by the hand or with the aid of a
Entry 343 is the fried bread crumbs served with roast partridge and grouse, strewn round the bird or handed separately with bread sauce and gravy. The whole thing hinges on constant stirring and thorough draining.
- "A slice of butter"An unmeasured lump, roughly 1–2 tablespoons. For a cup of crumbs, 2 tablespoons is about right: enough to coat, not enough to leave them greasy.
- The crumbs themselvesGrated stale bread gives soft, irregular crumbs, quite unlike dried commercial crumbs or panko. Day-old white bread with the crust removed, grated or pulsed briefly, is what is wanted; the recipe has you shake coarser crumbs through a colander so they lie lightly.
- Stir without stoppingCrumbs colour very quickly once the butter is absorbed and will catch if left. Keep the pan at moderate heat and move them continuously until they are evenly browned.
- Draining mattersTurning them out onto paper, or onto a cloth over a sieve as directed, is what makes them crisp rather than sodden. Spread them in a single layer and let them cool uncovered.
- "A cool or a Dutch oven"The dry, butterless method. A cool oven means only a low one; no temperature is given here. A Dutch oven in this period meant a tin reflector stood before the fire, not a cast-iron pot. A low oven, stirred every few minutes, does the same job.
- "Removed with a slice"A slice is a flat fish slice or turner, used here simply to lift the crumbs off.
- Quantity and keepingKeeping -- They can be made several hours ahead and kept dry in an open bowl; sealing them warm in a container will soften them.
Browned crumbs, bread sauce and thin gravy are the standing trio served with roast game birds in nineteenth-century English cookery, and the combination survives on British game menus still. The crumbs supply the crispness and toasted flavour that the pale, milky bread sauce lacks. The alternative of drying them without butter before the fire points to a kitchen where a Dutch oven, a hooded tin reflector, stood at the hearth for this kind of gentle toasting.